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• Journal article
  Meshkat S, Tello-Gerez TJ, Gholaminezhad F, Dunkley BT, Reichelt AC, Erritzoe D, Veremetten E, Zhang Y, Greenshaw A, Burback L, Winkler O, Jetly R, Mayo LM, Bhat Vet al., 2024,

  Impact of psilocybin on cognitive function: A systematic review

  , PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Vol: 78, Pages: 744-764, ISSN: 1323-1316
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• Journal article
  Erritzoe D, Barba T, Greenway KT, Murphy R, Martell J, Giribaldi B, Timmermann C, Murphy-Beiner A, Jones MB, Nutt D, Weiss B, Carhart-Harris Ret al., 2024,

  Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

  , EClinicalMedicine, Vol: 76, ISSN: 2589-5370

  Background Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination. Methods This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving patients with moderate-to-severe MDD. Participants were recruited from a hospital in the UK. Inclusion criteria: major depressive disorder (DSM-IV), moderate to severe depression (HAM-D ≥ 17), no MRI or SSRI contraindications, confirmed diagnosis by a GP or mental healthcare professional, aged 18-80, both genders, and competent in English. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either two 25 mg doses of the psychedelic drug psilocybin administered orally combined with psychological support (‘psilocybin therapy’ or PT) and book-ended by further support or a 6-week course of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram (administered daily at 10 mg for three weeks and 20 mg for the subsequent three weeks) plus matched psychological support (‘escitalopram treatment’ or ET). The primary outcome measure was change from baseline in the score on the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self-Report (QIDS-SR-16) at week 6, which has been reported previously. Herein, we present results at the 6-month follow-up time point. Measures of social functioning, connectedness, and meaning in life constituted the study’s secondary outcomes during follow-up. Safety in the follow-up period was not assessed. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03429075.Findings Between January 15th, 2019 and March 20th , 2020, 59 patients were enrolled and 30 (11 females (37%) and 19 males (63%)) were assigned to the psilocybin group and 29 (9 females (31%) and 20 males (69%)) to the escitalopram group. 25 participants

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• Journal article
  Deco G, Sanz Perl Y, Johnson S, Bourke N, Carhart-Harris RL, Kringelbach MLet al., 2024,

  Different hierarchical reconfigurations in the brain by psilocybin and escitalopram for depression

  , Nature Mental Health, Vol: 2, Pages: 1096-1110

  Effective interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders may work by rebalancing the brain’s functional hierarchical organization. Here we directly investigated the effects of two different serotonergic pharmacological interventions on functional brain hierarchy in major depressive disorder in a two-arm double-blind phase II randomized controlled trial comparing psilocybin therapy (22 patients) with escitalopram (20 patients). Patients with major depressive disorder received either 2 × 25 mg of oral psilocybin, three weeks apart, plus six weeks of daily placebo (‘psilocybin arm’) or 2 × 1 mg of oral psilocybin, three weeks apart, plus six weeks of daily escitalopram (10–20 mg; ‘escitalopram arm’). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired at baseline and three weeks after the second psilocybin dose (NCT03429075). The brain mechanisms were captured by generative effective connectivity, estimated from whole-brain modeling of resting state for each session and patient. Hierarchy was determined for each of these sessions using measures of directedness and trophic levels on the effective connectivity, which captures cycle structure, stability and percolation. The results showed that the two pharmacological interventions created significantly different hierarchical reconfigurations of whole-brain dynamics with differential, opposite statistical effect responses. Furthermore, the use of machine learning revealed significant differential reorganization of brain hierarchy before and after the two treatments. Machine learning was also able to predict treatment response with an accuracy of 0.85 ± 0.04. Overall, the results demonstrate that psilocybin and escitalopram work in different ways for rebalancing brain dynamics in depression. This suggests the hypothesis that neuropsychiatric disorders could be closely linked to the breakdown in regions orchestrating brain dynamics from the top of the h

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  • Citations: 2
• Journal article
  de la Salle S, Kettner H, Levesque JT, Garel N, Dames S, Patchett-Marble R, Rej S, Gloeckler S, Erritzoe D, Carhart-Harris R, Greenway KTet al., 2024,

  Longitudinal experiences of Canadians receiving compassionate access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy

  , SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, Vol: 14, ISSN: 2045-2322
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• Journal article
  Siegel JS, Subramanian S, Perry D, Kay BP, Gordon EM, Laumann TO, Reneau TR, Metcalf NV, Chacko RV, Gratton C, Horan C, Krimmel SR, Shimony JS, Schweiger JA, Wong DF, Bender DA, Scheidter KM, Whiting FI, Padawer-Curry JA, Shinohara RT, Chen Y, Moser J, Yacoub E, Nelson SM, Vizioli L, Fair DA, Lenze EJ, Carhart-Harris R, Raison CL, Raichle ME, Snyder AZ, Nicol GE, Dosenbach NUFet al., 2024,

  Psilocybin desynchronizes the human brain

  , NATURE, ISSN: 0028-0836
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• Journal article
  Bornemann J, Close JB, Ahmad K, Barba T, Godfrey K, Macdonald L, Erritzoe D, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris Ret al., 2024,

  Study protocol for “Psilocybin in patients with fibromyalgia: brain biomarkers of action”

  , Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol: 15, ISSN: 1664-0640

  Background: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Fibromyalgia is a particularly debilitating form of widespread chronic pain. Fibromyalgia remains poorly understood, and treatment options are limited or moderately effective at best. Here, we present a protocol for a mechanistic study investigating the effects of psychedelic-assisted-therapy in a fibromyalgia population. The principal focus of this trial is the central mechanism(s) of psilocybin-therapy i.e., in the brain and on associated mental schemata, primarily captured by electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of the acute psychedelic state, plus pre and post Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).Methods: Twenty participants with fibromyalgia will complete 8 study visits over 8 weeks. This will include two dosing sessions where participants will receive psilocybin at least once, with doses varying up to 25mg. Our primary outcomes are 1) Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZc) recorded acutely using EEG, and the 2) the (Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) measured at baseline and primary endpoint. Secondary outcomes will aim to capture broad aspects of the pain experience and related features through neuroimaging, self-report measures, behavioural paradigms, and qualitative interviews. Pain Symptomatology will be measured using the Brief Pain Inventory Interference Subscale (BPI-IS), physical and mental health-related function will be measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Further neurobiological investigations will include functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (changes from baseline to primary endpoint), and acute changes in pre- vs post-acute spontaneous brain activity – plus event-related potential functional plasticity markers, captured via EEG.Discussion: The results of this study will provide valuable insight into the brain mechanisms involved in the action of psilocybin-therapy for fibromyalgia with potential implications for the therapeutic actio

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• Journal article
  Copa D, Erritzoe D, Giribaldi B, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R, Tagliazucchi Eet al., 2024,

  Predicting the outcome of psilocybin treatment for depression from baseline fMRI functional connectivity

  , JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS, Vol: 353, Pages: 60-69, ISSN: 0165-0327
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• Journal article
  Erritzoe D, Barba T, Spriggs MJ, Rosas FE, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris Ret al., 2024,

  Effects of discontinuation of serotonergic antidepressants prior to psilocybin therapy versus escitalopram for major depression

  , JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, Vol: 38, Pages: 458-470, ISSN: 0269-8811
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• Journal article
  Weiss B, Roseman L, Giribaldi B, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Erritzoe Det al., 2024,

  Unique Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Psilocybin Therapy Versus Escitalopram Treatment in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

  , INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION, Vol: 22, Pages: 806-841, ISSN: 1557-1874
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• Journal article
  Vohryzek J, Cabral J, Lord L-D, Fernandes HM, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Deco G, Kringelbach MLet al., 2024,

  Brain dynamics predictive of response to psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression

  , BRAIN COMMUNICATIONS, Vol: 6
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